Taking back the Hat

By Ryan McCracken on May 12, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The Crescent Heights Vikings are aiming to take back the Hat.

While the Hat High Mohawks have built up Rangeland Football Conference dynasty with four consecutive championships, the Vikings recently recruited former fulback Sean Davis as head coach — and he’s making it his mandate to put Crescent Heights back on top of the Gas City.

“That’s our goal. It’s something we’re going to be shooting for but we’ve got stiff competition,” said Davis. “They have years of tradition over there (at Hat High) and I have nothing but respect for their program. We’ve got a lot of work to do and it all started today. We’re excited and I can’t wait to finally take the city back.”

Davis went all the way through the local football system, starting with the Parkside Pythons in 2004 and advancing to the Vikings. In 2009, Davis started up a five-year career with the University of Alberta Golden Bears and went on to coach with the club in 2015 and 2016 before coming back to his roots.

“This is kind of my dream job. This is always what I wanted to do, it was always the goal for me, even 10 years ago. The last time I walked off this field, when it was still grass, my whole goal in life was to come back here and give back to the team that gave me every opportunity I’ve ever had,” said Davis. “Without this team I would not be here, so I guess you could say I owe it to the team to give back — beside the fact it was the plan.”

The Vikings held their own during Thursday’s high school football jamboree with the Mohawks, McCoy Colts and WR Myers Rebels at the Methanex Bowl. While they fell into an early hole in their scrimmage against Hat High, Crescent Heights’ junior varsity players stepped up to narrow the gap in the second half — painting a promising picture for the future of Vikings football.

“Our JV squad looked fantastic, I couldn’t be more excited,” said Davis, adding he hopes some highly athletic rookies will help spur development in the clubhouse. “We’re getting four or five guys from Parkside who are just absolutely unbelievable athletes. They’re going to push our guys we’ve already got.”

There are still plenty of question marks surrounding the squad following spring camp, including who will start at quarterback in September. Grade 10 arm Garrett Little took the majority of the snaps at the jamboree, but Davis says he’s hesitant to circle a starter given a handful of potential options.

“We’re evaluating at this point. Garrett had a great camp, our young quarterback Kobe Willis had a great camp and we’ve got some ringers in the works we might be using,” he said. “They’re there to push each other. Come fall camp we’ll see. We’ll evaluate for those two weeks then Week 1 we’ll make a decision.”

Little says he’s looking forward to the challenge and hopes to establish himself as a leader with the Vikings next season. While Little admits the jamboree came with its challenges, the hopeful quarterback says he and his teammates will bring out the best in each other in the long run.

“I have some great receivers that I completely trust. If it’s 1-on-1 I’ll throw them the ball and completely trust them, guys like Kaden Wagner,” said Little. “I’ve got so much faith in my line, that they’re going to keep the defence off me. I just trust the whole team, that they’re going to do their job and help me do my job.”

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